Tuesday, August 2, 2011

dear shark week: i hate you ▲

[taken by the meggles. i don't even like looking at this picture.][except for the boots and the jacket. those parts make me happy.]

fact: once a year, the Discovery Channel scars me for life. it's important to get this out there: i, katie elizabeth hawkes, am terrified of sharks, and whales, and overly large fish.

oh. oh.

i'm losing feeling in my arms just thinking about it. who knows where this fear stems from? i've met exactly two other people who truly understand

but surriously. being around aquariums makes me feel like i can't breathe. even thinking about shamu gives me the willies. [did you catch my pun? free willy? yes? bahaha.]

so once a year, when shark week happens [arms...losing feeling...], people start talking about it on facebook, posting pictures of sharks, blogging about it [google reader, you are a dangerous friend these days] ...and every time i wander into someone's living room, and they are watching a certain offensive channel... sheer. terror. on. the. screen.

10 comments:

Oh man. I HATE fish. I am terrified of them. That being said, I don't mind sharks at all. Although last night we were hanging our with some friends and they were watching shark week and it was pretty gruesome. Luckily (too bad, actually) I'm not going to the beach anytime soon.

I'm afraid of mysterious sea creatures (like the ones you mentioned, and sometimes my overactive imagination makes up its own) but only when I'm swimming in a large body of water (like a lake or ocean). Otherwise I'm all about them -- there are few things that I love more than a good aquarium. I would just be terrified to be in the water with said creatures (except maybe a dolphin).

Snakes. I'm terrified of snakes. Jacob made me watch a documentary on Africa and the dangerous animal life there and I couldn't sleep for a week after watching how the snakes hunt and kill and...slither...ewwwww.

Well katie, you know me :) I love sharks. Live for shark week. Wouldn't mind swimming with a few smaller sized ones. Shamu is my hero. Aquariums are ky sanctuary. However, I accept and truly understand your fear. We all have them. And I'll admit, my fear is much MUCH less rational: bandaids and stickers. I don't just not like them, I am afraid of them. The worst thing ever: stepping on a sticker. I won't even attempt to describe the reaction that follows....

Remember that time you were feeding the fish and one jumped out and you flew across the room? Hahahahaha! Though I understand about being afraid of touching a big fish... that would be icky. And I have no room to talk because I have recently come to terms with the fact that I'm afraid of dragonflies. Not, like, one dragonfly off by itself. But if there's more than one and they get too close to me... let's just say that incident occurred recently while I was floating on a tube in a pond and I frantically tried to paddle away (I'm hoping you're getting the perfectly pathetic image, here) while screaming "I'm afraid! I'm afraid!" Haha hate those things...

after mentioning that one sister shares this fear...then another sister commented and said she's afraid of bandaids and stickers...then yet another sister said she fears dragonflies....i am beginning to believe this a family issue, these irrational fears.

Dude. Styrophobia is a completely real and totally common fear. And not at all a word I just made up.And really, I can't believe you are bringing this up in the middle of the scariest week of the year AND right after the occurrence last week when Katie herself taught my own daughter to rub pieces of styrofoam together at me. AT ME!And, seriously, after this series of comments, I am with Katie....we clearly have some family issues, man. When I burst out laughing while reading, my kids ask 'what's funny mama?' And the answer is 'aunt Monica is afraid of bandaids.' ...then you know we're not run of the mill.Be careful this week, kids.(Especially you, Laura, 'tis the season for those beasts)